Paw and Order: 7 Pet Care Chores to Teach Your Kids About Responsibility

Remember when you got that dog/cat/bird/fish/turtle, and your kid SWORE she was going to totally take care of it? How's that going? If you're still the only one scooping kitty litter, cleaning cages, or picking up dog poo, why not use this summer to teach your kids to take over some of those chores?I'm not sure why this is the case, but it generally seems like kids don't do as many chores as they did when I was a kid. I'm as guilty as the next mom of sometimes feeling like it's just easier to do it myself, but participating in chores really does help kids feel like an important part of the family. Chores teach them to be responsible and manage their time and summer is the perfect time to step up your kids' chores a notch. Without homework, even the busiest kids should have some downtime to learn something new. Instead of signing them up for yet another camp or class, why not teach them some valuable skills at home? Here are some suggestions for ways your kids can help take care of your pets. And remember - when they're really little, sometimes the help isn't always helpful. But teaching them and praising them now means they'll want to help when they're older. - By Joslyn Gray

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